MANCHESTER – Twelve hours before kick-off of the 2003 Champions League final and all is quiet outside Old Trafford.

There’s a few people milling about around the stadium, but the quiet serenity of the morning is unmistakable.

It’s a far cry from Tuesday afternoon when I arrived in this industrial city. The walkways outside the legendary home of Manchester United were bustling and bristling with football fans from all over the world.

There was a rock concert atmosphere to it all: international TV production crews setting up their satellites, journalists picking up their media passes at the accreditation booth, the local TV station doing live reports for the evening news.

Hordes of fans crowded around one of the stadium entrances, clamouring for autographs as the Juventus and A.C. Milan players headed off the pitch and back to their team buses.

Stars like Allesandro Del Piero, David Trezegeut, Allesandro Nesta, and Clarence Seedorf all stopped and signed. Rivaldo waved them all off before walking by.

"Bloody Brazilian tosser," one fan muttered underneath his breath.

Even though the game is sold out, there are a small handful of fans -- including two brothers who flew in all the way from Malaysia -- looking to buy tickets on the street.

A small group of chain-smoking Italian scalpers, clearly hardened by time, try to sell their ducats. "Tickets, tickets," they call it in their broken English.

A local fan from Manchester enters into negotiations with them but quickly walks away from the proceedings. He tells me they wanted $1,000 US for one ticket.

"That’s a fair bit of money," he says to me. "Especially to watch two Italian teams and considering United aren’t there."

That seems to be the sentiment here in Manchester. Though the city has rolled out the red carpet for the event and been more than a gracious host, there is an undeniable sense of disinterest in the game, this, the pinnacle of European football.

I’ve seen this before, of course. As a writer for CBC Sports Online who slaves away every Saturday night writing game stories and encoding video during the adrenaline rush that is Hockey Night in Canada, I’m familiar with the apparent malaise Manchester is feeling.

Much like hockey fans back home who are groaning over another Stanley Cup final without a Canadian team, football fans in these parts just can’t get excited about a Champions League final taking place in their city -- especially one that is being played in the hallowed halls of Old Trafford – without their beloved United team there.

Brad, a 16-year-old United fan, is typical of the Manchester supporters I’ve talked to here. He won’t even be watching the game on the telly. Seems he has a previous engagement.

"I’ve got a cricket match to play in," he says.

Not even the presence of Juventus and A.C. Milan, two of the traditional powers of European football, can lure him into watching the game.

"Yeah, they’re good clubs, but at the end of the day, they’re not United, are they? We should be in the final and we’re not."

Jerry, a football fan who came in all the way from Ireland, isn’t too upset.

"It’s sacrilege to [United fans] that they’re not there," he explains. "Of course, I don’t mind. I’m quite pleased because I can’t stand those arrogant bastards."

David, a local cab driver, admitted he’s “quite looking forward to the game,” but that he’s still disappointed.

"We keep hearing from the club that United is the biggest and richest club in the world. I think it’s a load of rubbish. Losing to Real Madrid in the quarter-final really brought home that we may be the best in England, but we’re far from the best in Europe."

Chris, a street merchant hawking shirts outside Old Trafford, offered another view of why there’s little interest among the locals in the game.

"I think there is serious trepidation from English fans because there’s two Italian teams in the final. I think if Real Madrid were there, fans would be more behind it because Madrid play a real sexy brand of football."

Jerry, the Irish bloke, concurs.

"There’s too much at stake. Even though Italian football has changed and both clubs play attacking football, I think that they’ll retreat into their defensive shell. They’ll play not to lose, instead of playing to win."

Such a cynical view of Italian football is not shared by everybody, though. Jack, an Italian now living in New York City, thinks the first all-Italian final is proof that Italian football is once again on the rise.

"It shows we’re back in fashion," he says. "After all the criticism from Spain and England over the past few years, we finally showed we’re better than them. We’re back on top. I’m so happy for Italy."

Others around town are just happy that the renaissance of Italian football is starting here in Manchester. Among the happiest is Sarah, a pretty blonde sales clerk who works in a local sports shop.

"I’ll tell you who’s really excited about this final: all the girls in town."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because they’re all hot and bothered over some of those gorgeous Italian players. Have you seen some of those lads? That Del Piero fella especially, what a sexy-looking bloke. What a gorgeous man, he is. I really fancy him."

"But do you have any interest in the game," I ask her.

"No. I don’t follow football at all."